Noun form of 言い返す, often implying a sharp or defiant reply.
彼の言い返しにはいつも驚かされる。
I'm always surprised by his retorts.
上司に言い返しをするのは難しい。
It's hard to talk back to your boss.
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant spelling without okurigana.
Compound of 言い (continuative form of 言う 'to say') + 返し (continuative form of 返す 'to return').